The film opens during the recording of Morrison's "An American Prayer" and quickly moves to a childhood memory of his family driving along a desert highway. Young Jim sees an elderly American Indian dying by the roadside. The film picks up with Morrison's arrival in California and his assimilation into the Venice Beach culture, followed by his film school days studying at UCLA; his introduction to his girlfriend Pamela Courson, his first encounters with Ray Manzarek, and the origin of The Doors: Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore.

Morrison convinces his bandmates to travel to Death Valley and experience the mind-expanding effects of psychedelic drugs. Returning to Los Angeles, they play several shows at the famous Whisky a Go Go club and develop a rabid fanbase. Morrison's onstage antics and occasionally improvised lyrics raise the ire of club owners; however, the band's popularity continues to expand.